Founded in 1998, the Rotilla Festival started as a rave between friends and grew over the years to become Cuba’s largest annual concert (attracting over 20,000 people in 2010). While it started out life as a promoter of solely electronic music, it soon started to join styles such as electronic music, fusion, rock and performance and promote the country’s underground art, all of this being sponsored by certain businesses and embassies in Cuba and the Serbian Exit Music Festival.
So for a weekend, every August, thousands of Cubans made the 57-km trip from Havana to dance, party and appreciate this artistic avant-garde festival which had as its heart an alternative and independent vibe imbued by its founder and executive director, Michel Matos.
In 2011 the Rotilla Festival was effectively cancelled due to disagreements between Michael Matos and the pertinent authorities.
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8unfoi-JDME&feature=related
Photographs by Alexander M, © All rights reserved.
